After serving for 26 years at the Utah Legislature, Rep. Carol Spackman Moss said she knew it was time to go, choosing to step away from a job she loved, and a position that defined her life for decades. Moss will retire at the end of her term on Dec. 31, 2026.

As an advocate for education, mental health, jail reform and naloxone access, Moss spent her political career bringing awareness to difficult topics. This year’s proposed bill to ban character education in Utah schools touched a nerve with Moss, who was adamant that education and character development can’t be separated.

“Turn your work in on time. Come to school. Don’t cheat. Be polite to other people. Don’t ridicule anyone. That’s part of life. That’s what public schools do well. Besides teaching the subjects, they socialize kids,” Moss said. “This state was built by public school graduates, and graduates from public universities and colleges. That’s the strength of Utah.”

For Moss, many of the bills introduced at this year’s legislative session seemed geared toward punishment, shame and cruelty. She knew it was time to step down once the political atmosphere changed and said the last few years have emphasized the need for a return to character and values over partisan affiliations. 

“I feel a certain sense of loss and sadness,” Moss said. “I saw really good Republicans shift their values in terms of how they voted and the kind of bills they had, and they were catering more to the leadership…and blatant cruelty toward others, going after marginalized populations like transgender kids or LGBTQ, and making attacks on Democrats.”

It hasn’t always been this way. Moss served as a Democrat, representing District 34, which covers East Murray, Holladay and Millcreek. She worked across party lines to create legislation that served all Utahns, often partnering with Republican State Senators Curt Bramble and Todd Weiler. She said creating effective legislation means making friends and finding common ground, something she learned to do at a young age.

Moss’s life started with tragedy. She was a 1-year-old when her father, a B-17 side gunner during WWII, was killed when his plane was shot down over Germany. He was only 19 years old. Later, Moss was eligible to receive college funding through the federal government that paid for her degrees in English and education administration.

Although the 82 year old was born in Ogden, Moss spent her early years moving from city to city, changing schools often, following her stepfather’s career with the forest service to Idaho, Nevada and California. Each new school meant she had to find ways to make friends. With a passion for music, Moss got involved in school choirs, which led to friendships wherever she lived. 

She also discovered a love for books. As a college student, Moss was astonished to learn she could take classes in Shakespeare, poetry or Hemingway. 

“I just thought that was wonderful. The most natural thing would be for me to become a teacher and teach literature,” she said. “All these things shaped me. I worked hard. I got married young, had kids young, and I was just determined that I was going to do something, do things that made a difference in people’s lives.”

Moss taught thousands of students during her 33 years of teaching English and student government classes at Olympus High School. She often jokes that the decades she spent teaching teenagers prepared her for a political career. 

Learning how to communicate, compromise, listen and engage with her students allowed her to do the same with her political colleagues and constituents, many of whom she taught at Olympus. Working with students from different racial, ethnic and economic backgrounds also taught her empathy, which shaped many bills she sponsored during her tenure.

Her legislative efforts included tackling societal issues like supporting refugees, preventing bullying behaviors, educating students about sexual violence and promoting LGBTQ+ rights. Many students, community leaders and colleagues have said her influence made them better people. 

“To many of my generation in Holladay, Carol Spackman Moss is more than a leader; she is like the community’s favorite aunt,” said Holladay Mayor Paul Fotheringham. “Her perpetual optimism has a unique way of calling upon our ‘better angels,’ challenging us to step beyond our comfort zones for the greater good. Whether at a neighborhood meeting or a city event, she is constantly bridging generations, proudly introducing former students who have become our newest elected officials (myself included) and community directors. The magnitude of her positive influence on Holladay truly defies measurement.”

Moss holds the record as the longest-serving female legislator in Utah’s history. Although she’s stepping away from political office, she is not ready to sit back and do nothing. She’ll continue to fight book bans and anti-DEI policies while championing women’s rights, voting access and common-sense legislation. 

She enjoys volunteering with the Holladay Arts Council and is involved with One Table Together, an organization that brings diverse groups of students together to share a family-style meal and have meaningful conversations. 

Moss also enjoys spending time with her daughters, reading good books and supporting live theater. She always attended the Utah Shakespeare Festival with her husband Bob Moss, who passed away in July 2021.

Moss was recently named the Women's Democratic Club of Utah’s Woman of the Year, which is only the latest of awards she’s won during her time as a teacher and representative. She is hopeful that the political landscape can return to one that values respect, open discussion and empathy.

“I wish more people would look at someone’s character and their values, and not [vote] strictly on a partisan divide,” Moss said. “That’s the only way we’re going to change and get this country back to a place that we recognize.”